Monty Python's Flying Circus Confirms July Reunion Show

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images(LONDON) — Forty-four years after Monty Python’s Flying Circus debuted on BBC TV, and 15 years after they last publicly appeared on stage together, the five surviving members of the legendary British comedy troupe confirmed Thursday that they are, indeed, reuniting.

At a London press conference, the Pythons — John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin — said they’d perform a live stage show at London’s O2 Arena on July 1 of next year. The performance would be a mix of classic Monty Python sketches, with some new material. And if all goes well, a limited tour is also possible.

“If we left it too long, it would be too late,” said Idle, when asked why the troupe decided to reunite now. “We don’t have that long, do we?”

John Cleese, who turned 74 last October, is the oldest of the Pythons, though all of them are in their 70s. Monty Python member Graham Chapman died of cancer in 1989 at age 48.

Tickets for the reunion show go on sale Monday, Nov. 25, and range from £26.50 to £95, or about $43 to $153.

Rumors of a Monty Python reunion have persisted over the years. At one point, a multi-million-dollar deal for a brief tour was nearly completed, but fell through when Michael Palin reportedly got cold feet.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired a total of 45 episodes from 1969 to 1974 on the BBC and also spawned five films, the last of which was Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life in 1983. Spamalot, a musical comedy based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, debuted on Broadway in 2005 and won three Tony Awards, including best musical.